Anti-emetics for 24/7 nausea in the first trimester- any experiences?

[ActonBell]

Sorry, I know this should be in pregnancy but I’m posting in chat for traffic as I really need advice.

I’m 7 weeks into my third pregnancy (second was an ectopic). I’ve had 24/7 nausea for two weeks now. I’ve not been sick but I do retch and dry heave. I can eat a limited range of food and keep food and liquids down.

Even without being sick the nausea is taking over my life. I have to lie in bed for hours because moving or standing makes me feel sicker. I have been trying to keep up with work - luckily can work from home and from bed most of the time because of the pandemic - but I’m starting to struggle. I can’t play with my 3 year old when he gets in from nursery because afternoons and evenings are the worst. I just lie on the sofa whilst he has the tv on and asks if mummy is still sick.

In my first pregnancy I would generally vomit once a day and then feel fine so this is very different.

I’m eating something little every 20 mins or so. Soda water and ice water help a bit. I have those anti-sickness acupressure bands now.

I’m trying to set myself small goals just to get through a few days at a time. Have my booking in appointment at the end of next week.

Is it worth a conversation with the GP at any point? Will they even prescribe anti-emetics if you’re not vomiting? I’m not sure if I want to take medication as I know it’s not risk free but I also can’t see how to survive 5+ more weeks of this.

If anyone had experience of this any advice would be welcome. Thank you!

Have you tried the travel sickness wristbands?

They worked well for me but you have to make sure they are positioned correctly on your wrists.

My father scoffed at the idea and to demonstrate I moved them off my wrists and within minutes I threw up which was a mad scramble by my father to get a bag to throw up in as we were sat in his car at the time!

These ones are specifically marketed for nausea in pregnancy

myrtleandmaude.com/products/acupressure-wristbands?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsqmEBhDiARIsANV8H3bbr2LIupdXZ0l9ogm_Rzv1M1PxXxuR_ySiFHZPjdXN9KXTkYyJAYAaAuBVEALw_wcB

These are very similar to what I used and there are reviews where women have used them in pregnancy.

www.boots.com/boots-adult-travel-bands-1-pair-12-years-10112488

Definitely ring your GP. I went through several antiemetics until I found something that worked. Nausea can be just as debilitating as vomiting so don't feel you need to downplay the seriousness of tour situation.

I took two different types from 4 weeks as I couldn't do anything without being sick or nauseous. My GP said the benefit outweighs the risk as being so ill could have worse effects. I didn't read the risks but I had a very healthy baby girl and the second she was born my sickness went.

@ActonBell I'm 35 weeks pregnant and still nauseous without vomiting. I was prescribed prochlorperazine which didn't work and now I'm on Cariban which works but makes me drowsy. Nothing else works for me. I thought the nausea had eased last week but the lsat few days it has ramped up so I'm back on Cariban. Talk to your GP and get him to prescribe something. Hope you feel better soon.x

You have my sympathy. I had bad sickness with all 3 of my children and it got worse with each one. With my 3rd I was in hospital at 6 weeks with a drip in my arm! I lost over a stone with both my 2nd and 3rd babies in those early weeks as I couldn't eat or drink anything without being sick. When I dropped my sickness certificate into work my boss was horrified and said she hadn't recognised me when i first walked in!

People are very well meaning when they suggest wristbands, tea, ginger biscuits etc but if you are really suffering from hyperemisis none of these things will help. I had my children 30 years ago and the only thing I was offered by my GP was a suppository which didn't help much. I found that the only thing that helped was sleeping.

My husband had to take time off work to look after the other children and friends helped out when they could. Unfortunately with my 3rd it went on until I was about 32 weeks but wasn't as bad once I got past 20 weeks so I was able to function enough to care for the other kids.

When I look back on it now I'm not sure how we got through it tbh. We had no family around to help out. If there is some safe medication you can take I would encourage you to do it. To this day, I still remember sitting on the floor of the toilet in the hospital crying because I had felt sick every waking moment for weeks. It was one of the hardest times of my life.

My first pregnancy was like that and it was miserable. I lost 3/4 stone through struggling to eat without activating a gag reaction, had major food aversions and really struggled to function, and that loss was despite gaining bump very early on. I lost supply work after fainting in a lesson. It finally faded off at 16-20 weeks although some aversions remained longer.

I longed for the relief of vomiting but rarely did.

It was a year or two before Kate raised awareness of HG and I hadn't heard of anti-emetics at that point. Enquire though, it really can be debilitating. If I wasn't teaching, I was lying down to conserve energy, it also was not a good foundation for the SPD phase that started as the nausea faded as I was already weakened and losing muscle.

What I did learn was that if you have a whim to eat something, try and get hold of it ASAP. My second time was better and I think that helped slightly. First time, I mainly existed on pot noodles and a particular type of cookie as I could actually swallow them.

Cyclizine, an antihistamine, can make you drowsy, doc gave it to me in pregnancy (so hoping that means its safe) and ginger beer got me through - fizzy things in general seemed to help. It all stopped by 11 weeks. Good luck

Thanks for all your responses. Having to read them slowly as I feel so sick!
I’m sorry to hear about these difficult experiences.

I suppose I’m wondering whether medication would do anything as it’s not being sick that’s the problem but just extreme nausea. And I worry about the conversation with the GP and them dismissing me because I’m keeping food and liquid down.

I can eat white bread, ready salted crisps and small amounts of fruit/cucumber. Occasionally plain boiled pasta or cereal. That’s about it. Everything else turns my stomach. I’m trying to sip water or weak squash continually.

Mine is extreme nausea all pregnancy until 34 weeks. I thought it was better but I'm back on Cariban at 35 weeks. I never vomited just extremely nauseous

Just to add I have been eating rice for months now. My poor husband has been cooking various rice dishes. I can only drink ice water or sometimes seven up without feeling nauseous. I can eat eggs and fish sometimes but it changes.

Thanks @Mishmased - I managed some rice this evening! Going to steel myself and try to talk to GP tomorrow. I don’t find the doctors at our surgery easy to talk to.

@ActonBell I really hope they give you some meds. I never had this with my two pregnancies and it is so hard to explain that you're not vomiting but cannot eat. I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow and the nausea is so bad.

I got caliban for vomiting, but the nausea was the worst part and its almost gone. I've been on it since 7 weeks, now 10. Had to up my dose last week. Previously I had 24/7 nausea but it would build to a crescendo about 4 times a day and I would then spend about ten minutes vomiting until there was nothing left in my stomach. The caliban has stopped the vomiting, and basically I feel some slight nausea at the times when I would have been vomiting. I'm a bit wiped out by it, its tiring and I'm sleeping 9 hours a night, but its a wonder drug for me.

I think when talking to GP focus on the physical effects- its not just queasiness. Focus not he fact you struggle to keep any food down, you're worried about nutrients, its impacting your ability to work/live, etc. You are putting real effort into no being dehydrated. I hope they listen - I personally don't think there's any reason women have to fight so hard and basically be hospitalised before they get these drugs.

Cariban, not caliban!

Also, if it helps: I've basically banned anyone in my house having cooked food. I found I can tolerate raw carrot and a bit of hummus. Toast and butter. Even without the permanent nausea Im' still finding eating 'normal' food a challenge.

I had cyclizine and ondansetron in my second pregnancy. I ended up in a and e on a drip after a week of keeping barely anything down. It was awful. The GP tried to tell me it was normal at first but after the a and e admission he quickly prescribed me things. I had spent a whole week being sick every time I did manage to overcome the nausea and actually eat. I couldn’t do anything, I just had to lay on the sofa or in bed whilst my little one ran rings around me.

Your midwife can help fight your corner though if you ask. She should be able to speak to your GP. I felt awful for not coping but it was awful to be sick constantly too. My baby was absolutely fine.

When I went to a and e they gave me ondansetron intravenously and within 10 minutes I was able to eat and keep down a cheese sandwich. It was a wonder drug for me.

Thanks all. Actually had a really good conversation with the GP which was a relief. Stressed the impact this is having on my life. This morning I couldn’t even manage sips of soda water, although that seems to have passed and I’ve managed some toast and small sips of watered down orange juice.

Got a prescription for first line medication which is one of the antihistamines with instructions to follow up next week with GP or midwife if it’s not having an effect and to call 111 over the weekend if I feel any worse.

Offered to sign me off for two weeks but I’m going to see whether the tablets help at all over the next few days before making a decision about that.

Feel so relieved that I at least get to try something that I could cry.

@namechangemarch21 - yep. Husband made himself a pasta sauce last night and ended up having to cook with the windows open downstairs and doors shut because the smell was making me retch so much. He’s coming up with no-smell options for himself for the next little while.

That was literally just frying up some garlic and onions - nothing terrible.

I know exactly how you feel. I had the worst nausea with my first 2 dc although both experiences were different they were just as debilitating. I was offered nothing at all from my gp.
Since then I've done a lot of research and upon finding out I was pregnant I rang a different Dr and she immediately got me some prochlorperazine. My nausea isn't as bad this time but I'm only 9 weeks and with my last 2 it ramped up later on.
The prochlorperazine didn't work so we switched to cyclizine which takes the edge off the nausea.
I am now taking vit b6 25mg 3 times a day and have stopped the cyclizine and I've found my nausea is very very mild most of the time.
I find that even when I think I'm going to be sick that I need to eat bits and keep myself full otherwise it ramps up. Liek you I can only really manage white bread or pasta and salty crisps.
Please try the b6 and see if at least reduces the amount of time you're feeling sick. I honestly did not think it would work but it seems to be doing fine.
I hope you find something that helps you.

@Papadontpreachimintroubledeep - that’s really helpful. GP didn’t mention B6 but I will talk to midwife about that at booking in next week and see what we can do. I know her from my first pregnancy and my experience of her was great so I’m much less nervous about talking to her.

Glad the GP gave you something. Please don’t feel like it’s ‘only’ nausea so you don’t really count as ill. I had nausea with vomiting and the nausea was the worst part of it because it was so debilitating and so constant, it was just awful.

I'm delighted you got something. That's great, fingers crossed you see an improvement. I would never have believed nausea can be this bad as I never had it with my two. Now I have nausea and SPD I definitely understand why people say pregnancy can be difficult 😆